Vibrating breast dilating apparatus



March 10, 1964 w, JONES 3,124,125

VIBRATING BREAST DILATING APPARATUS Filed May 21, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT OR WILLIAM R. JONES BY C; zm

W- R. JONES VIBRATING BREAST DILATING APPARATUS March 10, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 21, 1962 INVENTOR WILLIAM R. JONES AMA United States Patent 3,124,125 VIBRATING BREAST DILATING APPARATUS William Reginald Jones, 314 23rd St. SW., Calgary, Alberta, Canada Filed May 21, 1962, Ser. No. 196,286 6 Claims. (Cl. 128-46) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in kinesitherapeutical apparatus, and in particular the invention concerns itself With apparatus for imparting vibration to and thereby massaging, stimulating and dilating the breasts.

As such, the invention has certain general characteristics of the breast dilator apparatus disclosed in my co-pending United States patent application Serial No. 805,840, filed April 13, 1959, and now Patent No. 3,035,571, of which this application is a continuation-in-part.

The principal object of the present invention is to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon the apparatus disclosed in my earlier application, such improvements involving, among other things, the provision of a brassiere type breast dilating apparatus which is especially adapted to be worn for therapeutic purposes and may be quickly and easily applied or removed; which is readily adjustable as to transverse spacing of the breast cups to accommodate and compensate for particular physical characteristics of each individual user; and which is equipped with novel means for mounting electrically actuated vibrators on the breast cups so that the vibrators may be expeditiously removed for purposes of washing or cleaning the cups, and re-installed with equal facility.

Also, the apparatus in accordance with this invention is a commercially perfected embodiment which is simple in construction, highly efficient in use, dependable, durable, and adapted for convenient and economical manufacture.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are employed to designate like parts, and wherein for illustrative purposes:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the apparatus of the present invention in position on a users body and in readiness for use;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the apparatus per se, shown partly in section;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the subject shown in FIGURE 2, also partly in section;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view of one of the breast cups with the vibration producing means removed therefrom;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view, taken substantially in the plane of the line 5-5 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of one of the vibrators used in the invention; and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of one of the vibrator housings.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the breast dilating apparatus utilizing vibrational kinesitherapy is designated generally by the reference numeral 10 and embodies in its construction a pair of breast cups 11, each having a convexo-concave body portion 12 provided at its marginal edge with an outturned marginal flange 13.

The two cups 11 are transversely spaced and adjacent portions of the flanges 13 thereof are provided with straplike connecting members 1 4 which are mutually overlapped, as is best shown in FIGURE 3. The members 14 are equipped with co-acting fastener elements, such as conventional snap fastener elements 15, and these elements on one member are selectively engageable with the ele- 3,124,125 Patented Mar. 10, 1364:

ments on the other member, whereby the two cups 11 may be adjustably connected together in a manner which permits their transverse spacing to be varied as required to accommodate particular physical characteristics of a user. Also, the elements 15 are separably engaged, so that the two cups 11 may be separated if desired, for purposes of washing, cleaning, or the like.

The marginal flanges 13 of the breast cups 11 are provided at the top and outer sides thereof with slotted cars 16, and suitable flexible straps 17, adiustable as to length by conventional buckles 18, are connected to the slotted ears 16. The straps 17 extend around or embrace the torso of the wearer so as to retain the cups 1-1 in position on the breasts. The straps may be arranged in any suitable manner, for example, to extend over the shoulders and around the back, or to extend simply across the back, or they may be crossed at the back, as desired or dictated by comfort and convenience. However, it is significant to note that in any event the arrangement of the straps does not interfere with the transverse spacing adjustment of the breast cups, as facilitated by the means 14, 15.

Each breast cup 11 carries electrically actuated vibration producing means designated generally by the numeral 20, and since the arrangement of these means on the two cups is the same, a description of one will suffice for both.

Reference to FIGURES 4 and 5 will disclose that the body portion 12 of the breast cup 11 progressively increases in thickness from its marginal edge (equipped with the flange 13) toward the center of convexity of the cup. The center portion of the cup is provided at the convex, outer side thereof with a substantially rectangular recess 21, which has an open upper end, a closed lower end 22, and a pair of undercut side edges 23, best seen in FIGURE 4.

Each vibration producing means 20 consists of an electric motor 24 equipped With a base 25, the latter having a pair of bevelled or dovetailed side edges 26, as shown. The base 25 of the motor is slidably and removably received in the recess 21 through the open upper end of the latter, with the dovetailed side edges 26 of the base slidably engaging the undercut side edges 23 of the recess, so that when the base of the motor is slidably inserted in the recess, it comes in abutment with the closed lower end 22 of the recess and the motor is thereby retained in position on the breast cup.

The motor 24 preferably is of an open cage variety with exposed field windings, and is covered by a complemental housing 27 which abuts the motor base 25 as illustrated. The housing 27 is provided with a plurality of slots 28 for purposes of ventilation and dissipation of heat from the motor.

The armature 29 of the motor 24 has a weight 31' secured eccentrically thereto, so that when the motor is energized and the armature is rotated, the eccentric weight will produce vibrations which will be transmitted through the motor base 25 to the body 12 of the associated breast cup 11 and thereby imparted to the entire breast within the cup.

In this connection it is to be particularly noted that the cups 11 are formed from suitable material such as rubber, plastic, or the like, which is suiiiciently rigid to transmit the vibrations from the units 20 to the entire breasts within the cups, rather than concentrating such vibrations at the nipple regions of the breasts (where the vibratory units 20 are mounted) and leaving the outer marginal areas of the breasts devoid of vibrational kinesitherapy, such as would happen if the breast cups were made from relatively flexible or soft material such as fabric. Also, it will be noted that the progressively increasing thickness of the breast cup portions 12, from their outer marginal edges toward the center, not only provides the center regions of the cups with sufficient material to facilitate formation of the recesses 21 and proper support of the motor bases 25 therein, but what is more important, the relatively thiclt center regions of the cups which carry the vibrating means 29 have greater mass and are therefore more effective in imparting vibration to the nipple regions of the breasts, where the breast mass is more pronounced, than the relatively thin outer or marginal regions of the cups where the protuberance of the breast contour becomes diminished and where, therefore, a lesser therapeutic effect is desirable. In other words, while the material of the cups is such as to distribute the vibrational kinesitherapy over the entire breast area, its effect is more pronounced at the nipple regions and progressively diminishes towards the outer or marginal regions of the breasts, in proper compatibility to the breast contour.

As a practical matter, the aforementioned connecting members 14, slotted ears 16 and the flanges 13 of the breast cups may be formed integrally with and from the same material as the body portions 12 of the cups.

Referring again to the aforementioned motor housings 27, one of these is shown in detail in FIGURE 7 wherein it will be noted that the housing is substantially boxshaped and has upper and lower end walls 31, 32. The ventilating slots 28 are provided in the upper end Wal 31, while the lower wall 32 is formed with a notch 33 to accommodate a conductor 34 for supplying current to the motor 24 Within the housing. The entire housing is formed from resiliently flexible material such as rubber, or the like, and the side edge portions of the housing at its open back are thickened to form inwardly projecting keep-er members 34 which fittingly engage the motor 24 and the base 25 as is best shown in FIGURE 3. In assembling the device, the motor 24 is first applied to the breast cup by sliding the base 25 thereof into the recess 21 of the cup as already explained. Thereupon, the housing 27 is applied to the motor by spreading the resiliently flexible members 34 apart to a sufiieient extent for the housing to pass over the diameter of the motor and for the members 34 to then snap inwardly into. seating engagement with the motor and the base 25 as shown in FTGURE 3. In this manner, the housing is kept in position over the motor, but may be removed by simply reversing the above outlined installation procedure. The keeper members 34 may have curved edges 35 to conform to the curvature of the cup body 12, and it will be noted that when the housing 27 is in position on the motor 24, it also provides an enclosure for the vibrator weight 30, so that the rotating weight is not exposed when the apparatus 1s 1n use.

The conductors 34 of the two vibrator motors are connected to an extension cord 36 which is equipped with a suitable attachment plug 37.

While in the foregoing there has been described and shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, various modifications may become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Accordingly, it is not desired to limit the invention to this disclosure and various modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a brassiere type breast dilating apparatus, the combination of a breast cup including a convexo-concave body having a recess provided substantially centrally on the convex surface thereof, and vibration producing means having a base removably mounted in said recess, said cup being formed from material which is sufficiently rigid to transmit vibrations from said vibration producing means to an entire breast embraced by the cup.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said convexo-concave body of said cup is of a progressively greater thickness from its marginal edge toward the center thereof.

3. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said recess has an open end, a closed end and a pair of undercut side edges, said base of said vibration producing means being removably received in said recess through the open end of the latter and having a pair of dovetailed side edges slidably engaging the undercut side edges of the recess.

4. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said vibration producing means also include an electric motor carried by said base and having a rotatable armature, and a weight secured eccentrically to said armature.

5. The device as defined in claim 4 together with a housing removably positioned on said electric motor in abutment with said base.

6. The device as defined in claim 1 together with an outturned marginal flange provided integrally at the marginal edge of said convexo-concave body of said cup, and means provided on said marginal flange for connection thereto of means for retaining the cup in position on a breast.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 683,745 Golden Oct. 1, 1901 2,489,591 Safiady Nov. 29, 1949 2,779,328 Grossi Jan. 29, 1957 3,035,571 Jones May 22, 1962 

1. IN A BRASSIERE TYPE BREAST DILATING APPARATUS, THE COMBINATION OF A BREAST CUP INCLUDING A CONVEXO-CONCAVE BODY HAVING A RECESS PROVIDED SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY ON THE CONVEX SURFACE THEREOF, AND VIBRATION PRODUCING MEANS HAVING A BASE REMOVABLY MOUNTED IN SAID RECESS, SAID CUP BEING FORMED FROM MATERIAL WHICH IS SUFFICIENTLY RIGID TO TRANSMIT VIBRATIONS FROM SAID VIBRATION PRODUCING MEANS TO AN ENTIRE BREAST EMBRACED BY THE CUP. 